Summer and a new apartment

Hard to believe I haven't posted anything since Shay's birthday. Since then, we've celebrated 4th of July, Mila's birthday, and moved. Whew! Been a busy summer, but not too hot so far. Kind of rainy, actually. Looking forward to Shay starting kindergarten next month!

Dressed up for the 4th:

Mila's birthday was a weeklong celebration complete with visits from Nana and Grandpa Rob, and a huge chocolate cake!

Mila also got a bike for her birthday; elbow pads might need to be next! 

Enjoying some family friendly activities at our new complex:

Shay's birthday and graduation

I can't believe Shay is 5 now! He had fun at his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle birthday party. There just happened to be a puppet show and DJ at our complex that day, and the weather was great.

Shay will also be going to kindergarten in the fall, so he had a graduation from preschool ceremony. He's really growing up! 

Starting to warm up...

Since we came back from vacation, we've just been trying to get outdoors as much as the weather allows. 

In other news, Jermaine has been interviewing for fellowships for next year, and we've also been looking for a new, more central apartment. Since we'll be back to separate schools next year, it will be nice to be closer to everything. We're set to move in July. By then, we should know our plans for next year, which could include a move back to California!

On vacation!

My friends and I decided to plan and beach getaway, somewhere in between California and New York. Naturally, we ended up in Texas. 

We got all prepared - the kids got new suitcases and were super excited to carry their own stuff. Also had iPods with kid music, a Kindle Fire loaded with cartoons and emergency lollipops. 

The flight there was pretty bad; 3 hour+ delay, including de-boarding and re-boarding the plane (and we had gotten to the airport over 2 hours early!). It was then that the music and lollipops came  in handy :)

Then there was a screaming (like, the whole time!) baby two rows in back of us when we re-boarded. Mila was waaay past her nap and finally fell asleep when that baby really got pissed. The family seemed to have a positive outlook on the situation, but it was pretty miserable for the rest of us. United also refused to serve drinks (even sodas, as my seat neighbor discovered) in between the flight attendant walks up and down the aisle - an unwelcome change from Virgin America and Jet Blue, where you can order anything from your seat at any time. I also heard from my fellow travellers that United flights are regularly delayed. Yikes - we'll see how the flight home goes!

Gymnastics

The combination of the weather and Mila's constant tumbling, stretching, and twirling led me to sign the kids up for gymnastics at a big complex at Chelsea Piers.  A co-worker asked me if that's where Suri Cruise goes; I haven't seen her there yet, though there is a picture of a visit from Olympian Gabby Douglas.

Mila predictably loves the class, and she's actually really good at tumbling and balancing. She's ok at following instructions. Shay isn't as excited about it, though he seems to have fun during the class. Part of it may be that there are a lot of girls in the class, and there are lots of girls in his class at school. I looked into switching classes at Chelsea Piers, but it didn't work out. I'm hoping that things will even out in school next year in kindergarten. Meanwhile, he's getting plenty of exposure to Disney princesses. I think he knows more about them than Mila, since neither have them have seen the related movies. 

Now for some pics of the kids in action at gymnastics:

There's a parents area that's up above the floor, so no good close up pics. But you get the idea...

And then there was more snow....

We only have this winter and last winter (which was very mild; hardly any snow) in NYC to compare. So I thought that it was just normal to have to trek through several inches of snow at least once a week. But my co-workers were saying that we are actually getting a lot of snow. So it's not just me being a California girl on the East coast! 

The kids have been adjusting ok. They like to play in the snow, but not walk through it to school. Shay is a real trooper; Mila has harder time, but insists on "walking by myself". Aunt Sharon recently sent the kids some infinity scarves that have been helping them stay cozy. The recent slush fest, where there was old snow and new rain, was probably the worst. We're sure looking forward to spring!

A Merry Christmas & Happy 2014!

Somehow this didn't upload before...better late than never!

We had a nice Christmas with just the four of us; a big contrast to the usual hustle and bustle when we are closer our extended family. Everyone sent wonderful presents for the kids; they were so excited and couldn't even open everything in one day!

We also had a food filled holiday. I made my first attempt at rum cake and Jermaine made his traditional new year's lemon meringue pie. 

Hope everyone is having a warm and safe 2014 so far!